''Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops'' is a 1955

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Charles Lamont Charles Lamont (May 5, 1895 – September 11, 1993) was a prolific filmmaker, directing over 200 titles and producing and writing many others. He directed several Abbott and Costello comedies and many Ma and Pa Kettle films. Biography A Calif ...

and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. After the film was completed,

Universal-International Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

wanted to rename it ''Abbott and Costello in the Stunt Men'', because they did not consider the "

Keystone Kops The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. History The idea for the ...

" to be relevant anymore. However, in October 1954, the studio relented and agreed to use the "Keystone Kops" name.

Plot

Willie Piper is in a

nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

watching a silent film: "Eliza and the Bloodhounds" a melodrama which ends with a mother and small child escaping in a snowstorm across a frozen river from a pack of hounds. He gets thrown out for being too demonstrative in the film. His friend Harry Pierce is waiting outside, he shows him an advert in a newspaper looking for people to invest $5,000 in a motion picture studio, exactly the amount of cash they have. They are sold a deed to the West Orange Studio by a con man, Joe Gorman, on the pretext that he has two studios, one in Hollywood and one in New York, and the travel is getting too much. It appears Gorman has sold the studio multiple times, but it is not even his studio, it is Edison's original studio. They realise that they have been swindled. Leaving the studio Willie gets his foot trapped in a railway line with a train approaching and narrowly escapes injury. They get a lift from an old man with a wagon and horses heading to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

they then jump on a train but get off very prematurely. They get a second train loaded with cattle. The guard throws them off. Meanwhile, Gorman has adopted a new identity as the European film director Sergei Toumanoff. He is also travelling by train to California, with his girlfriend, Leota Van Cleef, who hopes to be a film star. Meanwhile, Harry and Willie are trying to catch up with Gorman across the country in hope of getting their money back. A group of hobos find them sleeping by a campfire. And swap clothes, so they continue, dressed as hobos. They re-encounter the old man and wagon and con him into giving them $20 which they use to try pay to get on a freight train. They play dice with the train guards and win their uniforms. They do not realise how close they are to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and stumble onto the set of the western film that Toumanoff happens to be directing. They think they are under attack by Indians, but are saved by the cavalry. Then they are left on a runaway wagon. Leota rides up dressed as a squaw. Toumanoff is furious with the interruption, but the head of the movie studio, Mr. Snavely, hires Harry and Willie because he is impressed with their "stunt work". Harry and Willie fail to recognise Gorman. Willie has to dress as a woman, to be Leota's stunt double during a dangerous stunt flying in a biplane. But Toumanoff is plotting to dispose of Harry and Willie before they can learn his true identity. They take off without a pilot. Toumanoff's henchman, Hinds, has sabotaged their parachute and arranged for live bullets to be fired from the other plane in the scene, but Harry and Willie manage to avoid harm. After viewing the film rushes of the airplane stunt, they decide they have accidentally created a good comedy film. Snavely decides that Harry and Willie are a great comedy team, and assigns a visibly annoyed Toumanoff to direct them in a new film. Snavely is aware that Toumanoff is actually Gorman, and requires Gorman to repay Willie and Harry the $5000 through their wages, but must stick to comedy films. Toumanoff agrees. A burglar breaks into Toumanoff's house at the same time as Harry is trying to break in. Harry gets arrested by the real police. Willie (in Keystone outfit) bungles the arrest of the real robber. Confusion ensues. Gorman and Leota then go about robbing the studio safe of $75,000, but are discovered by Harry and Willie (now both dressed as cops), who give chase. The studio's

are asked by Harry and Willie, who believe they are real policemen, to assist in the chase. The Kops decide to play along, believing that they are on the same work team. Willie and Harry fall off the cop wagon and obtain a motorcycle and sidecar, creating a three vehicle chase through the woods. The chase ends at the film set where Gorman tries to escape on the biplane but is caught. Unfortunately, the stolen money is blown away by the wind generated by the airplane's propeller.

Cast

Bud Abbott William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man half of the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Early life Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New J ...

as Harry Pierce *

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), professionally known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with straight man Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First? ...

as Willie Piper *

Fred Clark Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American film and television character actor. Early years Born in Lincoln, California, Clark was the son of Fred Clark Sr. He attended Stanford University with plans to become ...

as Joseph Gorman/Sergei Toumanoff *

Lynn Bari Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was a film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through the 1940s. ...

as Leota Van Cleef *

Maxie Rosenbloom Max Everitt Rosenbloom (November 6, 1906 – March 6, 1976) was an American professional boxer, actor, and television personality. Nicknamed "Slapsie Maxie", he was inducted into '' The Ring's'' Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972, the International Je ...

as Hinds * Harold Goodwin as Cameraman *

Roscoe Ates Roscoe Blevel Ates (January 20, 1895 – March 1, 1962) was an American vaudeville performer, actor of stage and screen, comedian and musician who primarily featured in western films and television. He was best known as western character S ...

as Wagon Driver *

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

as Himself *

Heinie Conklin Heinie Conklin (born Charles John Conklin; July 16, 1880July 30, 1959) was an American actor and comedian whose career began in the silent film era. Early years Conklin was born Charles John Conklin on July 16, 1880, in San Francisco, Califo ...

as Sennett comic * Hank Mann as Prop Man *Kit Guard as Hobo (uncredited) *Harry Tyler as Piano Player (uncredited)

Production

Casting

Lou Costello's daughter Carole played the theater cashier at the beginning of the film, hence the in-joke: Lou: You're cute. Cashier: You're silly. Lou: So's your old man.

Filming

Scenes were shot between June 7 through July 9, 1954, and included cameos by Costello's daughter, Carole, as a theater cashier,

Keystone Cops The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. History The idea for th ...

director

as himself, as well as three original

, Hank Mann,

, and

Herold Goodwin Harold Goodwin (December 1, 1902 – July 12, 1987) was an American actor who performed in over 225 films. Biography Goodwin began his film career at age 12. Goodwin's first starring role came in ''Oliver Twist, Jr.'' (1921). He also appear ...

. The scenes at the very beginning of the film, where Costello's character, Willie Piper, is watching the film ''Eliza and the Bloodhounds'' in a theater, featured stock footage from Universal's 1927 silent version of ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...

''.

Home media

This film was released twice on DVD, on ''The Best of Abbott and Costello Volume Four'', on October 4, 2005, and again on October 28, 2008 as part of ''Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection''.

References

External links

* {{Charles Lamont 1955 films Abbott and Costello films American black-and-white films American crossover films Films about stunt performers Films about filmmaking Films directed by Charles Lamont Films scored by William Lava Films scored by Henry Mancini Films scored by Herman Stein American parody films Universal Pictures films Films set in Los Angeles Comedy crossover films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films 1950s parody films